The Great Leveler: violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the future

Throughout history only violent shocks have significantly reduced economic inequality: war, revolution, plagues.

Walter Scheidel considers the prospects of levelling in today’s more stable world.

Walter Scheidel (@WalterScheidel) is Dickason Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Classics and History, and Kennedy-Grossman Fellow in Human Biology, Stanford University.

Aaron Reeves is Associate Professorial Research Fellow in Poverty and Inequality, International Inequalities Institute, LSE.

This lecture is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Read about the International Inequalities Institute’s partnership with JRF here.

The International Inequalities Institute at LSE (@LSEInequalities) brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

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